The challenge:

We were engaged by a private equity-backed explorer in London for a market mapping and succession planning project, having previously supplied their subsurface staff. The organisation had been pursuing an organic growth strategy but were now interested in near term production opportunities across Africa while they were undervalued.

They needed to build relationships with highly experienced Development Managers with complex, niche skillsets, who had the expertise to fast-track a development project through to production in a very short timeframe.

Our solution:

As hiring was conditional on the right project being found over time, our client requested that the candidates not be actively looking for a role, but open to building a relationship that could be swiftly leveraged when the opportunity presented itself.

A timeframe of four weeks was agreed for initial research and shortlisting, which was achieved with seven days to spare. Candidates were submitted with a detailed cover sheet talking through their background, skillsets, motivations, specific strengths and potential weaknesses.

The outcome:

• Of the initial ten candidates submitted, eight were selected for interview

• The feedback was highly positive, and three candidates were identified as individuals the company would like to build long-term relationships with

• The company has real confidence that they will be able to make a business-critical hire with zero downtime when they have identified the right project

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